A new paper that might be of interest:

Recalibrating SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Lateral Flow Test Relative Sensitivity from Validation Studies to Absolute Sensitivity for Indicating Individuals Shedding Transmissible Virus

I watched a few videos and contact improv looks great.  (Full disclosure I watched the videos x2 speed I've little patience watching most stuff). For people in a good enough physical condition, and relaxed enough to go with it,  I can see it being beneficial and a lot of fun. (5 years ago I would have hated the idea because back then movement = pain, pain, pain and I couldn't have let go to move) It looks like free-flowing movement, guided instinctively by the body rather than the brain trying to control and direct.  Support is being ... (read more)

Some comments on Dr Scott Dye's failure-of-homeostatis model:

I read the abstract "Patellofemoral Pain: An Enigma Explained by Homeostasis and Common Sense" and found myself nodding along...

overload and/or injury produces pain. Bone overload and synovial inflammation are common sources of such pain.

Patience and persistence in nonoperative care results in consistent success. Surgery should be rare"

I agree with all that. I'd classify it as common sense as they say in the title.

But after reading the article a couple of times I don't feel the authors w... (read more)

I hope your Dad is doing OK. No worries with timeframes - less than immediate responses are one of LW's strengths IMO.

Abs, butt, quads, traps. I'll try being more mindful of those,

Fricking awesome! Feel for positioning, freedom to move, and balance in left and right. Just to expand a little ...

abs. All good. Imaging extending the linea alba between the rectus abdominis every in-breath. Pubic symphysis to sternum.

butt. fair enough. Big ass muscles - gluteus maximus.

quads. What makes you say "quads" here? It would be very useful for the insight... (read more)

Yes, there are a lot of ways to get sensory feedback. I listed some to increase awareness of the relative positioning of the midline anatomy here.

imagine a string attached to the top of your head, towards the back. "

The "imagine a string" example is great - if it works for an individual and they engage the 'right' muscles to improve posture. It didn't for me, my body was too restricted and misaligned, my 'myalgia of imbalance' too advanced for imagining a string to be of any help.

To take the string idea further, think of the linea alba and nuchal ... (read more)

From the link you provided:

"A very recently reported third discovery demonstrated a previously unknown tissue component-'interstitium'-a networked collagen bound fluid-filled space existent in a number of human organs."

I read that and thought:

"What? The interstitium? I learned about that 30 odd years ago.  Wasn't that one of the things I had to label when sketching from a histology slide, wow that was so long ago ....  "

What has been recently noted and publicised is the interstitium in its form in living tissues.   From this arti... (read more)

Posture it's where the body naturaly without effort. For a muscle to hold something in a specific position it has to fire constantly which costs energy. It makes sense for the body to save that energy by using fascia to hold the posture.

This is an issue of definitions then. I agree that it is the connective tissue system that provides passive support for the body, minimising muscular effort. I also believe it is the location of 'physical restrictions' that cause tension, alter positioning and restrict range of movement.

My definition of posture: T... (read more)

I agree, biology is a realm of uncertainties. The wonder of how living organisms function blows my mind. The level of complexity phenomenal.

However, anatomy is much more fixed. Grossly examinable and recordable. Studied in detail for hundreds of years. We have accurate atlases of how the body is put together, what attaches where....

Anatomy can be complicated (I've very much skipped over a lot of details about the pelvic floor muscles and connective tissue structures) and individual variations are seen, but there is much more certainty about how we are... (read more)

Thank you for providing some background. I found it very insightful into your methods of thought and what you consider evidence. (I had to google pedagogy, I don't know what to make of "perceptive pedagogy".)

You've studied anatomy, I think great! Most people (in my experience) find anatomy intimidating but I would hope someone who has studied it would feel more comfortable giving some consideration some, fairly basic, anatomical facts.

I said something about posture being a mix of fascia and muscle and she said: “No, it’s just fascia”

And you are happy... (read more)

I've read Painscience over the years. It's one of the few places that attempts to cut through the BS of "pain medicine" and I agree with Paul on many things.

However, I am looking at "posture" from a new perspective. (Kind of wish I had another word for body-position - pose? A lot of bad thinking is currently applied to "posture".)

Posture = the pose you are in = the positioning of all the bits of your body, at any time.

• Good posture = good positioning. Enabled by an unrestricted range of movement, normal tensions within the connective tissue system a

There's not much in it but - based on my experiences and the anatomical facts - I am more certain about Base-Line Theory of Health and Movement that I am about the sun coming up tomorrow. There I've said it. It's what I believe. That strongly. Even so, I would be willing to change my mind and that's why I persevere with looking for feedback.

Have you ever found the 5 main muscles on your body and given some thought about how they are functioning?

I expect the sun to come up tomorrow, I am confident it will, but I am not certain of any future event. There's plenty of time between now and then for things (however improbable) to occur that mean the sun doesn't come up.

My theory is based on anatomical facts, logic (feels like I'm stating the obvious) and my subjective experience. It's not complicated but there are multiple parts (split over several posts). I find myself using a lot of words in an attempt to explain clearly and simply (unsuccessfully it seems) so attempting to use as few words as possible and clarify my theory:

Base-Line Theory of Health and Movement: 

Use the right muscles. Balance and align body and mind. 

Anatomy of alignment

• Linear structures: Linea alba, supraspinous & nuchal ligaments.
• 5 mi

Muscles move bones. Muscles do determine posture, along with connective tissues. I did edit my "posture post" after you'd read it. Originally I'd not mentioned the condition of connective tissues affecting posture (a glaring omission!). I find "fascia" too restricting as a term, I'm sticking with connective tissues.

• Muscles alter positioning/posture in an active manner. 
• The condition of connective tissues affects posture in a more passive manner.

factors that are involved in getting it unstuck in more complex

Could you provide details about t... (read more)

Well blushing a lot at my typo. I went from % to <p> and apparently forgot about the decimal point.

I'm not one to put numbers on things but it's popular on LW and my fingers spat it out as I was typing.

I am certain.

I've never been so certain of anything in my life.

What confidence level would be acceptable?

Why? How many times, for how long? What evidence do you expect this practice to give me in support of your theory? If I don't feel anything, will you count that as evidence against your theory, or will you explain it as somehow supporting your theory, like Freud would claim that a patient was in denial if they claimed not to have some desire that his theory predicted that they would have?

I can answer each of those questions if you want me to. I am willing to spend the time if you ask but what value are my words to you?

I am offering you a map.

If you... (read more)

Thank you for the comment, there's a lot of questions in there to deal with.

My theory is not not just "position = pain" as you put it.  There's a bit more to what I am saying, but at its shortest:

Chronic malpositioning causes pain. (This pain is currently either labelled as idiopathic, or may have a label/syndrome but it's cause is still not understood - i.e. still technically idiopathic.) 

To break it down:

(As I see it) there are two options with "pain". Either: 

• Signals are generated somewhere in the body and we end up experiencing "pa

A diagnosis should focus on finding the aetiology. i.e. knowing why there is an issue (not just naming the problem. Anything idiopathic isn't a diagnosis, it's a label IMO).

{IRL I'd want a:

• Full history including details of all other ache and pains you experience - location, duration, severity, type, frequency, initiating actions etc. The good reason for you suspecting increased muscle tone?  Do you physically feel tense?  Spasms? Restricted movements?  Other health issues, history of injuries etc.
• Thorough clinical e

I hesitate to use the word "posture" due to the various models it conjures in people's minds (slouching, pictures of the spine etc.) Put these images aside for a moment.

Posture = Position of the body.

All the body, at any time.

Good posture = good positioning - the body works well.

Poor posture = bad positioning.

(Bad positioning could be structural or due to inappropriate usage)

Bad positioning is bad for moving parts. Inappropriate tensions, misalignments, friction, stress.

Bad things in the body - detected by sensors, information transmitted by nerves... (read more)

sporadic, idiopathic pain in another joint.

Can I clarify before I spend time writing a long answer - You are looking for a model that explains why you've now got pain in your foot (with a history of knee pain)?

If that's what you want to know, it's not complicated - pain spreads over time.

How I'd briefly explain things:

We alter position to avoid pain.

Positional changes alter the stresses throughout the body (we are connected from head to fingers to toes).

Stresses are unevenly distributed when the body is not in an ideal posture.

Alterations due to p... (read more)

I was specifically asking about a vaccine for coronavirus. (I should have said covid19)

The potential profits from such a vaccine could be massive.

Weigh that against the effects of giving the world's population some sort of immunity.

If this vaccine is shown to be effective, the first round of vaccinations will be available at cost from Oxford University and AstraZeneca.:

Landmark partnership announced for development of COVID-19 vaccine

The partnership is to begin immediately with the final terms being agreed in the coming weeks.  This will

An interesting read and I'm happy to see people publishing posts like this.

The more that beliefs are questioned, the more improvements in thinking can be made. (or something to that effect, I'm struggling with the wording).

Anything that can be for-profit, should be.

A vaccine for coronavirus could be for profit. Should it be? What would be the overall effects (advantages?) of:

• having a vaccination that is sold for profit.

compared to:

• a vaccine that is available on a not for profit basis.

- - -- ---

Money .... keeps people honest

Does it? Fraud. Tax returns ...

I would ask a different question in each case. (about unrelated subjects)

Well done Lily!

Does Lily want to join the rota and prepare dinner again?

If so, tortilla wraps are fun to do - stuff to weigh and knead (and getting flour all over the place!)

It's a good opportunity to do a bit of math when splitting the dough into pieces (I'd suggest working in grams) and rolling the tortillas can lead to some interesting shapes and designs ...

Various fillings can be prepared to cater for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters. A mix and match meal for everyone.

Who gets to hear the question and answer?

Just me or is there a wider audience (that also know the oracle cannot lie)?

Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19

Abstract
We report temporal patterns of viral shedding in 94 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and modeled COVID-19 infectiousness profiles from a separate sample of 77 infector–infectee transmission pairs.

We observed the highest viral load in throat swabs at the time of symptom onset, and inferred that infectiousness peaked on or before symptom onset.

We estimated that 44% (95% confidence interval, 25–69%) of secondary cases were infected during the index cases

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine begins human trial stage

The vaccine is based on an adenovirus vaccine vector and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein,

Is the victory bit important in the quotation?

If it's not about the victory/winning, and rather about the path/journey ....

A first draft that springs to mind as I type:

The key to rationality.... is not to chose the label, but to choose to take every opportunity to improve/update your thinking.

(Can't ... stop ... myself ... from commenting: From what I've observed too much ego gets in the way of rational thinking sometimes.)

Thanks for those links. I'll need time to read properly.

I've wondered for a while about the influence of viruses on evolution (just looking at the effects of something like Zika virus for a start) or genomes picking up "new DNA" from RNA templates etc....

It would be important information if it was true. But is it true?

(SARSr-CoV) makes the BSL-4 list on Wikipedia but coronaviruses are widespread in a lot of species and I can't find any evidence that they are restricted to BSL-4 labs.

Whether BSL-3 labs were allowed to deal with this class of virus, is something that someone should research.

Did anyone do some research?

- --

(SARSr-CoV) makes the BSL-4 list on Wikipedia.

But what's the probability that animal-based coronaviruses (being very widespread in a lot of species) were restricted to BSL-4 labs?

- - -- ---

COVID19 and BSL according to:

W.H.O. Laboratory biosafety guidance related to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Non-propagative diagnostic laboratory work including, sequencing, nucleic acid amplification test (NAA

A good point that "health" is too generalised. I've updated my original request.

Thanks for the full list of tags. I guess there's been a couple of changes in the lists somewhere e.g. "practical techniques" not being added when selected.

The "world optimisation/modelling" and "well-being" ones aren't on the list (page 2 somewhere??!)

To untag a post, just downvote its tag relevance

Cool. Done. A little unpleasant seeing red and and minus vote but it disappeared when I added a new tag, so all good. :)

"well-being" works for me (Christian's point re-" health" tag is we... (read more)

Some info. on coronavirus vaccines in pigs:

Vaccines for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and other swine coronaviruses 2016

Coronavirus (and other viruses) causes severe disease in neonatal piglets. Vaccination of pregnant sows in order to confer "lactogenic immunity" i.e. antibodies in the milk is, as far as I'm aware, the main use of coronavirus vaccines in swine.

(I was a veterinary surgeon but I've not treated pigs in over a decade.)

Research 2019 Recombinant Chimeric Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus (TGEV)—Porcine Epid... (read more)

I'm liking the tag idea!

But.. how to I remove one (added by mistake to one of my posts)?

A list of all tags currently available would be useful. (rather than seeing what appears on the drop down list when doing a search for various letters).

I'd like a "health" tag (edited to add - I withdraw the request for a "health" tag)

and would use an "anatomy" tag (but that'd mostly be for me as far as I can see).

Test reliability:

• Sensitivity and specificity of the test. an image here

sensitivity = number of true positives / number of true positives + number of false negatives (true positives that test negative)

specificity = number of true negatives / number of true negatives + number of false positives (cross-reactions, other infections giving positive result)

Some info. I found here about covid19 PCR test. (It might not be the test that was was used but as far as I'm aware all current covid virus testing is via PCR so the tests should be of a very high spec... (read more)

A US study looking for recruits: NIH begins study to quantify undetected cases of coronavirus infection

A new study has begun recruiting at the National Institutes of Health .... to determine how many adults in the United States without a confirmed history of infection with SARS-CoV-2 have antibodies to the virus.

After enrollment, study participants will attend a virtual clinic visit, complete a health assessment questionnaire and provide basic demographic information—including race, ethnicity, sex, age and occupation—before submitting s

(veterinary) medically/surgically speaking:

Animal owner: ""What are its chances?"

Me: "50-50".

What I mean: Treatment's worth a try but be prepared for failure. The magical middle figures that say ' I don't know, can't guess, don't have an intuition either way, and we'll have to see what happens'.

I've just come across this:

COVID-19 host genetics initiative

A project that's just starting (110 studies registered as I post) but may yield some interesting data in the future.

Being able to release the least susceptible from lock-down and increasing herd immunity. Targeting limited vaccination supplies to the most susceptible. Although a high specificity antibody test will be the game-changer.

A true "live vaccine" is different from "live-attenuated" vaccine. (you're right re the link, it doesn't make the differentiation clear and is poor referencing on my part.)

Due to the increased risks of "live vaccines" (and the ability to attenuate the infective agent in the majority of cases) they are rare but they do exist and are the subject of research.

For example:

Used for military personnel: Adenovirus vaccine contains live adenovirus

adenovirus type 4 and type 7 vaccine, live

Adenovirus Type 4 and Type 7 Vac

COVID and smallpox is their long incubation times, which isn't shared by something like 95% of current ambient disease

I'm not sure what current ambient disease means.

Where do you get the figure of 95% from?

If you're talking about "colds and flu" then yes they do have short incubation times but many other viruses have long incubation times for example HIV, hepatitis causing viruses

https://www.virology.ws/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Screenshot-2014-10-07-13.18.17.png

Some figures for incubation periods for various diseases:

wi... (read more)

I've edited the post you answered to include stuff I've posted in other comments.

Words are used to convey meaning.

I totally agree. Which is why I've been pushing the point that the meaning of variolation is not what people here seem to accept it as.

Vaccination is a word in common use for all diseases

Indeed. And it's the word that should be used here.

A starting point for increasing knowledge of the subject: live-vaccines (edit to add: not a good link for differentiating between true live and live attenuated/modified vaccine... (read more)

Article that might be of interest and clarify a couple of definitions:

does-a-high-viral-load-or-infectious-dose-make-covid-19-worse?

“The viral load is a measure of how bright the fire is burning in an individual, whereas the infectious dose is the spark that gets that fire going,”

The process of vaccination by scratching the skin is known as:

• "scarification"

or

• "percutaneous vaccination"

or simply as

• "scratch vaccination"

(unless specifically for smallpox when variolation is appropriate.)

Via the eyes would be "intraocular vaccination".

Thanks for that info.

It makes a bit more sense why "variolation" is the term being knocked around since the post refers to giving the vaccination by scratching the skin but variolation shouldn't be used when talking about viruses other than smallpox.

This method of administration is known as:

"scarification vaccination" or "percutaneous vaccine"

No it doesn't seem "pretty natural to see people re-purpose" variolation for something that would be labelled in standard and accepted medical terms as vaccination with a live virus.

Find some people in the medical profession that think it's a good idea then I may reconsider my stance, otherwise I've made my point and don't intend to post any more comments on the subject.